Masquerade
by Clez
Summary: The Third Watch crew from early season two, and a costume party... need I say more? :D


"All I'm saying is I don't wanna go," he complained once again, eyes never leaving the road. He only glanced sideways once when his date laughed. Well, she wasn't a date exactly... but she was the closest thing he had to one right now. Anyway, this had been her idea.  
  
"Oh, come on, Bos', it'll be fun," she told him, running her shoulder sash through her fingers over and over, smiling at it.  
  
Maurice 'Bosco' Boscorelli rolled his eyes, and considered the look on Faith Yokas' face for a moment, before giving in. She looked so happy to be doing something like this, so who was he to ruin it for her?  
  
"Fine," he grumbled.  
  
"Anyway, it's for charity, Bos'. Everyone from 55th will be there," Faith continued, trying to make as much sense of her case as possible.  
  
Bosco had to admit... she looked beautiful in her costume. Well, it wasn't so much of a costume as a long elegant dress. They had announced the charity movie fancy dress party two weeks ago, and everyone had seemed quite excited at the possibility for a little light-hearted fun. He and Faith had agreed to go together, and so had arranged to match.  
  
"You don't think I'm being too predictable?" Bosco inquired, pulling into the parking lot, and opening the door to let the valet in. He stepped aside, and let the young man get inside the Mustang.  
  
"Of course not," Faith replied earnestly, holding up her dress as she stepped out of the car, careful not to catch it on anything. She let it fall around her ankles again when she was clear of the vehicle, and waited for her friend to come round to meet her.  
  
"You're sure?"  
  
"Bos', you look fine," Faith insisted. "Anyway, I doubt anyone else dressed as Bond has their 'Bond-girl' with them." She laughed.  
  
Bosco smiled, and nodded, feeling her hand hold his arm as they walked up the stairs into the building where they were holding the party.  
  
Once inside, they went to the bar to get themselves a drink. The bartender had made a wisecrack about martinis, predictably enough, and Bosco had glared. The bartender had immediately scurried off to fetch their order.  
  
Faith sipped her cocktail, and looked around for familiar faces. Bosco pretty much ignored his drink, and scanned the small crowd. They were early. It was only nine o'clock.  
  
Some of the station wouldn't be coming. They were working, and had already let everyone know that it wasn't a problem, and that they weren't too keen on fancy dress parties anyway.  
  
Bosco leaned slightly against the bar, hands in his pockets, waiting for something interesting to happen. Music played lightly from speakers hidden away somewhere, and people milled about in true mingling fashion that was customary at parties.  
  
"Hey, look, there's Davis," Faith announced with a smile, and waved the young officer over.  
  
Bosco almost didn't recognise the cop when he approached, and had to think for a minute who Ty Davis Jr. had come as. It struck him after a moment's thought, and he smiled discreetly.  
  
"Hey, Davis," Faith greeted.  
  
"Hi," Davis replied, and nodded at her outfit. "You look nice."  
  
"Thanks." She laughed quietly, and looked him up and down. "Um... what are you supposed to be?"  
  
"He's Morpheus," Bosco interrupted, giving Davis a knowing look. Faith glanced to Bosco curiously. "'Matrix'." Off her startled look, Bosco shrugged beneath his tuxedo. "What? I love that movie."  
  
"It's a great movie," Davis agreed. His long black coat almost touched the ground, and it was a marvel he hadn't yet fallen over it. He held something in his hand, and it took Bosco a moment to figure out what it was. Davis noticed his gaze, and shrugged. "Oh, yeah... they look cool in the movie, but they're a pain in the ass." He held up the pair of small sunglasses, and grinned.  
  
Faith raised an eyebrow, and let it slide, and from the look on her face, it seemed as if she didn't really want to know.  
  
"So," Davis said, changing the subject slightly, "let me guess. Bond, right?"  
  
Bosco threw a look to Faith, pushing off the bar slightly, and removing his hands from his pockets, crossing his arms over his chest. Faith smiled weakly.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Which one?"  
  
Bosco stared at Davis blankly. "What?"  
  
"Which Bond?" Davis repeated with a youthful curious smile, placing the sunglasses into his pocket.  
  
Bosco cast a pleading look at Faith; unsure of how to reply... his mind had gone blank. He couldn't remember which Bond was which... or even how many Bonds there had been over however many years it had been going.  
  
"Um... he's the new one... I can't remember his name," Faith smiled. She shrugged beneath her scarf, and tucked a bang of her soft hair behind her ear.  
  
"Pierce Brosnan," Davis offered, and Faith nodded in silent agreement.  
  
"So, where is everyone?" Bosco asked suddenly, trying to get off the subject of his costume. It was just a tux, for crying out loud.  
  
Davis glanced about, and tilted his head, as he replied, "Not sure. Sully said he was coming."  
  
Faith let out a laugh, and then covered her mouth to stop it from continuing, before she managed, "Sully at a costume party? I can't imagine that."  
  
Davis nodded. "Yep. I know what you mean. I asked him yesterday what he was wearing, but he wouldn't tell me." Davis looked put down by this fact, but shook it off upon seeing someone enter. He called them over immediately to the bar.  
  
Monte 'Doc' Parker walked over to them, wearing a leather jacket, black shirt, and backwards hat. He looked like he'd just finished closing a deal on a street corner. Bosco cocked his head, and glanced at Faith, who seemed just as clueless as he was.  
  
"Are you guys the only ones here?" Doc asked upon arrival by their side, nodding to the barman for a drink. Davis acknowledged his question with a nod.  
  
After a while, Bosco couldn't help but blurt, "Who are you?"  
  
Doc almost laughed at the suddenness of it, before Davis smiled in realisation.  
  
"You're 'Shaft', right?"  
  
Doc nodded, and shrugged. "I couldn't think of anything else... plus, I didn't really have the time. I tried to get Sarah to come, but she wouldn't. She took up a late shift at Mercy just to get out it, I think."  
  
Faith laughed politely, and sipped her drink, just as Doc paid for his.  
  
They stood for a while in silence, save for the continual conversing of people all around and the soft music that played. The four of them barely spoke themselves, apart from the odd polite friendly question. A Bond, a 'Bond-girl', a Morpheus and a Shaft, all under one roof, amidst the Lara Croft's, Supermen, and Gladiators. It was a little odd to say the least. They were just about the most normal dressed group there. Faith and Bosco looked ready to attend the symphony.  
  
Bosco sighed, and ordered another drink, buying one for Faith without even asking her if she wanted one. She had nearly finished hers already. To be honest, Bosco was more than a little bored already, and he was dying for something entertaining to happen.  
  
Just then, there was a scream, and all four turned their heads on instinct, ready to help where they were needed. Bosco took off through the crowd at a jog, over to where the shriek had originated, and the others followed behind, Faith holding her dress up a little to avoid falling over it.  
  
Bosco stopped at what was waiting for them on the other side of the crowd, and almost laughed out loud. There, sitting on their ass on the floor was a woman, staring up in horror at someone dressed in a black shrouded costume, an obviously plastic knife in their hands. They wore an elongated white mask, with the hood pulled over their head, clad entirely in black everywhere besides.  
  
"What the hell?" Doc muttered, and looked between the frightened woman dressed as Marilyn Monroe to the figure standing over them.  
  
Just then, they reached up and pull down the hood, taking off the mask and holding it in their free gloved hand.  
  
"Carlos!" Doc exclaimed, looking at his partner amidst the faces.  
  
Carlos Nieto looked with the expression of a rabbit in taillights to his partner, and shrugged. His eyes fell back on the woman he had frightened.  
  
Doc moved over, just as Bosco had to fight not to crack up on the spot. Faith silenced him with a glare, and Bosco cleared his throat instead to cover the sniggering. To him, this was the entertainment he had been waiting for.  
  
Doc helped the Marilyn off the floor, apologising to them as if he were an embarrassed parent whose child had just done something foolish. He looked to Carlos, and waved a hand to the woman who shambled off.  
  
"What do you think you're doing? Was that supposed to be funny?"  
  
"Hey," Carlos cut in, holding up the plastic weapon, and then slipping it in a concealed pocket in the cloak, and continued, "I didn't do anything. I may have said 'Boo', but nothing else. It wasn't my fault."  
  
"You could scare someone walking around like that," Doc informed him matter-of-factly.  
  
Carlos shrugged. "That's the point. Haven't you seen 'Scream'?"  
  
Doc sighed, and turned back to the others, walking off, Carlos in close tow behind.  
  
"Cool costume," Carlos said to Davis, who took a while to realise he had received a compliment. He grinned like the Cheshire Cat, and followed as they moved back to the bar.  
  
As they approached the bar, Bosco slowed at the sight of someone ordering a drink.  
  
"I don't believe this," he muttered in disbelief, and glanced to Faith. She looked right back at him, and bit her bottom lip, giving him an apologetic look as though she were to blame.  
  
There -ordering a beer- was Jimmy Doherty, dressed in a black suit and bow tie. He seemed unaware of the small group of costumed people approaching him, even as Bosco arrived at his side.  
  
Jimmy looked to him then, and at once realised what he was wearing. "Hey," he mumbled.  
  
Faith arrived, standing behind Bosco. Doc, Carlos and Davis stood just off to the side.  
  
"What do you think you're doing? You stole my idea."  
  
Jimmy looked to Bosco in disbelief, and shook his head. "Hey, no way. I always come to these things as James Bond."  
  
"Then maybe you need a new costume," Bosco retorted, and glanced to Faith briefly. She looked a little lost.  
  
"I had the idea first," Jimmy informed him, rather childishly. He was wearing a smile that seemed to hint that he thought he had already won this argument.  
  
Bosco shook his head. "I was here first."  
  
"Okay, okay," Faith interrupted before someone threw a punch, and stepped between them, holding up her hands, and saying, "how about this?" She looked to Bosco. "You're Pierce... what's-his-name," a glance to Jimmy, "and you're Connery." She let her hands lower. "Same character, different actor... okay?"  
  
Bosco shrugged, trying to appear as though it didn't bother him. Jimmy nodded, looking subtlely smug as always, and sipped his beer.  
  
Faith moved to collect her cocktail, and let out a sigh, glancing to the others momentarily. They looked away, and then retrieved some drinks of their own from the bar.  
  
Bosco moved away from Jimmy, and over to Faith. "I thought you said no one else would be dressed as James Bond," he said to her quietly, so no one else could hear, causing her to turn.  
  
"I didn't say that, Bos'," she corrected calmly, "I said no one else dressed as Bond would have their 'Bond-girl." She tilted her head slightly as if to tell him not to worry, and smiled. Bosco collected his drink from off the bar, and drank it all pretty much in one go, ordering another.  
  
"Bosco, take it easy. You'll have a hangover if you keep going at this rate." Faith looked to him as if her gaze would convince him.  
  
He shrugged it off, and paid for the drink. "Hey," he began calmly, "think about it. The more I drink, the more goes to charity."  
  
Faith furrowed her brow, and then blinked, laughing slightly for lack of anything else to do, shaking her head.  
  
Doc and Carlos conversed a little way away, and it seemed as though they were still debating over the point of Carlos' costume and its scare- factor.  
  
Davis stood just to the side of Faith now, not sure where to put himself. He was obviously waiting for Sully, curious to see what his partner was wearing. It was eating at him slowly, and he looked about ready to explode if he didn't find out soon.  
  
Jimmy seemed perfectly content to stand alone at the bar, in the true style of Bond, waiting for some blonde bimbo to come up and speak with him, despite his marriage to Brooke. Maybe he wasn't waiting to hook up... just look intensively brooding as Bond always did.  
  
Bosco had that down to a tee, and was working on his third drink by the time the seventh member turned up.  
  
"Wow," Faith couldn't help but mutter as the woman approached in a long exquisite dress that hid her feet entirely from view. Her hair had been softened from its usual spiky casual appearance, and it looked lighter and silkier. The dress was unusual, like nothing Faith had ever seen. The fabric was a light blue in colour, complementing her eyes beautifully, and the wide sleeves concealed her hands from view.  
  
Bosco and just about every other male in the room stared as she walked up to them, seemingly a little startled by the response her costume gained. Hanging around her neck was an odd pendant, one that glinted in the soft light.  
  
The woman arrived amidst them, and looked around, before saying, "Please stop staring. That's all I've had since I got here."  
  
Faith moved over, a little envious now of the costume, and said, "Sorry, Alex. You look great."  
  
"Thanks," Alex Taylor replied with a grateful smile, and glanced around at the group. "I sorta stand out a bit though." She laughed, as did Faith, who was now glad for the female company amidst all the men dressed in their brooding costumes.  
  
"'Bond-girl'?" Alex guessed as she ordered herself a drink, noticing Bosco staring. Once the cop saw her gaze, he worked hard at diverting his eyes, turning to talk with Davis.  
  
Faith rolled her eyes, and nodded with a smile. "Yeah. I'm sorry... I can't figure out..."  
  
"Who I am?" Alex finished, and then cocked her head. "It's okay. I doubt very many people here can. They probably think I'm some wacko in a Juliet dress or something."  
  
Faith felt her eyes widen a little, before she laughed at Alex's smile.  
  
"It's... an elf, you know? Like from that movie?"  
  
"'Lord of the Rings? Sure... I saw that with my kids," Faith admitted, and let out a breath. "It's an amazing dress."  
  
"Thanks. It cost me an arm and a leg to rent, but I think it's worth it. I thought I'd be different, and from the looks of the people here, I think we're about the only original ones." Alex laughed, and sipped her drink, nodding at the strong flavour it obviously held. "I see the guys have gone with typical testosterone-loaded costumes."  
  
Faith laughed.  
  
"Two Bonds? That had to cause a problem," Alex commented, seeing Faith nod.  
  
"Bosco is the new guy, and Jimmy is Connery. That seemed to solve the problem for the time being." Faith shrugged.  
  
They conversed for a little while over the others' costumes, and shared some jokes about the unoriginality of some attendees' outfits. There was more than one Lara, about three Marilyn's, two Supermen, and a Batman. The others seemingly hadn't really bothered... either that or they were too complicated to work out at first glance. There were enough Gladiators to actually start a coliseum.  
  
Alex took a while to inspect everyone's costumes, smiling at some of them, and looking extremely puzzled at others. Faith had already taken the time to figure it all out, and elaborated for her friend, who found some results amusing.  
  
Bosco had finished his third drink, but was still not showing any signs of inebriation to any degree. Well, the guy could certainly hold his alcohol... they had to give him that. He looked bored... extremely bored more like. He took to staring at the door, as if there was nothing better to do.  
  
It was only when Jimmy stared to the door as well that Faith and Alex realised that Bosco wasn't spaced out or bored... he was distracted. It didn't take them long to figure out what by.  
  
It was Kim Zambrano, dressed in a forties style dress, complete with veiled cap and gloves. She headed in their direction, her hair flowing over her shoulders elegantly.  
  
Faith rolled her eyes. These guys were gob smacked by anything female this evening. It was more than a little annoying... and she was in truth a little jealous. She sipped her drink, and glanced at Alex, who seemed less than bothered by the quality of Kim's costume. She was concentrating on her own beverage, and then turned to speak with Bosco and Davis, not completely turning her back to Faith so she wasn't rude.  
  
Doc and Carlos greeted Kim, and watched as the woman continued on her way to the bar, coming to stand with Faith, seeing Jimmy pace over. Kim smiled at Faith and said hello.  
  
"Hey," Faith greeted in response, "great costume. You look like you belong in World War Two." She laughed politely and warmly.  
  
"That's kinda the idea. You ever see Pearl Harbour?"  
  
"Oh right," Faith commented, feeling a little silly for her would-be- joke a little while ago, and finished her drink. Kim wasn't being blunt; she was simply confirming what Faith had surmised.  
  
"Hi, Kimmy, you look fantastic," Jimmy managed to say as he arrived at her side, just as the woman removed her veiled cap. She took her drink in her gloved hand, and sampled it testily.  
  
"Bond, I presume?" she teased with a grin, and Bosco turned his head, glaring at Jimmy momentarily before Alex asked him something that brought his attention back to her.  
  
"How'd you guess?" Jimmy queried, meaning for it to be a joke... a rhetorical one at that.  
  
Kim took the bait, and replied, "Because you always come to these things as Bond." She smiled.  
  
Bosco almost choked on his drink, and Alex patted him on the back to help him. He smiled his thanks, and shared a quiet word with the tall officer Davis.  
  
"Oh," Jimmy mumbled, "right."  
  
"No Brooke?" Kim asked him then, smiling.  
  
Jimmy stood silent for a moment, and then shook his head, turning his back to the bar and staring out from the crowd, shot down it seemed.  
  
Faith fought not to laugh. She had to turn away to hide her urges, and then managed to calm herself enough to turn back, seeing Bosco's smug expression.  
  
"Has anybody seen Bobby?" Kim asked, noting Jimmy's jealous gaze. She looked around the crowd, standing on tiptoes for a moment to get a better view.  
  
Davis glanced about, his height more than an advantage, and shook his head. "Nope. Not yet."  
  
"You have any idea what he's comin' as?" Faith inquired curiously, having more than one idea for herself.  
  
Kim shrugged. "He said something about Bond..."  
  
"I should have known," Jimmy grumbled, downing his beer, and setting the empty bottle on the bar.  
  
Bosco came back around to stand with Faith, hands in his pockets, nodding to the barman for another drink. Faith raised her eyebrows at his rate of consumption, and glanced back to the exchange that was starting up between Kim and Jimmy.  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked of him, looking between Faith and Jimmy, and then spotting Bosco. "Oh."  
  
"Hey..." Jimmy began, pointing at the cop, "I had the idea first. You said it yourself-"  
  
"You always come as Bond," Bosco interrupted, finishing his sentence for him. "We know. You're forgetting one thing... I was here first."  
  
Faith leaned to Kim, and said quietly, "I thought I'd solved this."  
  
Kim laughed, and shrugged. "Sorry. But you know how possessive Jimmy can get."  
  
Faith inclined her head in contemplation of the fact, and then nodded in agreement, even as Bosco and Jimmy continued to debate the fact.  
  
Suddenly, Carlos' voice was heard, "Hey, check it out."  
  
All heads in the small group turned to regard the entrance, just as a tall man entered in an Army Air Corps uniform, topped off with medals and all the trimmings. He was even wearing an official-looking hat, which he proceeded to remove in one hand, eyes glancing about.  
  
"Bobby?" Kim exclaimed in shock, and glanced to Faith, and then the two men in Bond costumes, seeing their stunned expressions.  
  
"I thought you said he was comin' as Bond," Bosco mumbled, taking his drink off the bar and drinking some quickly.  
  
"I thought he was," Kim informed him, and watched Bobby Caffey approach, seeing his smile.  
  
"Wow, Bobby," Alex said in greeting and compliment, and looked him up and down with blue eyes, smiling happily. "Off to the airfield?"  
  
"Very funny," came his response, and he looked to Kim, shrugging his shoulders. "I thought Kim needed to match somebody." He turned to her, walking over, and continued, "I heard you talking about it in the bus, and got the idea a couple of days ago. You have any idea how much it cost to put a deposit on this thing?" He glanced down at himself, and then noticed the looks he was receiving from a certain cop and fireman. "What's wrong with them?"  
  
Kim giggled. "They thought you were coming as Bond... I thought we were going to have a fight on our hands."  
  
Bobby laughed too, and looked to the two men in matching costumes. "Who's who?"  
  
Faith stepped in with her explanation, and said, "Bosco's the new guy, and Jimmy is Connery."  
  
"Ah," Bobby muttered, and grinned. "No martinis?"  
  
Bosco rolled his eyes and looked to Faith for her help in keeping him calm. He wasn't disappointed. She said something to him quietly, and he nodded.  
  
Davis looked impatient still, glancing about irritably. "Where the hell is Sully, man? He should have been here ages ago. I wanna see his costume."  
  
"You mean that costume?" Alex inquired, pointing with a finger that emerged just barely from beneath her delicate sleeve.  
  
There, standing in the doorway was John 'Sully' Sullivan, all dressed up as what looked to be a cowboy. He wore spurred boots, bandana neckerchief, with hat, and even an eye patch for some reason.  
  
"Oh... my god," Davis managed, and laughed, turning to the bar and chuckling to himself.  
  
Bosco almost broke down in fits of laughter, looking once again to Faith for help, who warned him that Sully was being a little more original than most people here, and he didn't need any mocking right now. He only just managed to agree, albeit reluctantly.  
  
Doc actually looked proud of what Sully was wearing, whereas Carlos couldn't have looked more lost and confused in someone had placed him down without explanation on a desert island.  
  
Alex was trying to calm Davis, and Kim, Bobby and Jimmy shared a look of inquiry with one another, shrugging. It seemed only Doc knew why Sully was dressed as he was.  
  
Sully moved over, glaring at Davis, who was grinning like an idiot, and said hi to Doc, and spoke with him briefly, leading them over to the bar to order himself and the older paramedic a drink.  
  
"Leave the horse outside, Sullivan?" Bosco said after moment, no longer able to hold it in. This only managed to push Davis back into his giggling fit, and Jimmy grinned. Bobby smiled, as did Kim. Only Faith, Alex and Doc didn't tease. Carlos didn't know what he should do... laugh or cry. He looked somewhere comfortably in between.  
  
"Some of us just aren't that predictable, Bosco," Sully retorted, handing Doc his beer, and sampling his own.  
  
"Okay," Bosco continued, and nodded to the man. "Then why are you dressed like a cowboy? I thought this was a movies costume party."  
  
Sully shook his head as if ashamed, and looked to Bosco with his one uncovered eye, asking, "Ever heard of John Wayne? 'True Grit'?"  
  
Bosco blinked in response, looking to Faith, who smiled and bowed her head at her partner's lack of knowledge.  
  
"Never mind," Sully finished, and caught sight of Jimmy. He then glanced around the entire group. "Two Bonds? That's gotta be confusing."  
  
The whole argument started up once again, becoming a little more heated, Jimmy even resorting to commenting on Bosco's height and how he wasn't tall enough to be Bond anyway. Faith had to grab Bosco to hold him back from saying something about Jimmy's habits with women and how at least that matched the character.  
  
"Hey!" Bosco said loudly after a while, and smiled at Faith briefly, glancing back to a confused Jimmy, and ended triumphantly by saying, "Bond should always have his girl. I don't see yours." He laughed, and put his arm around Faith in victory. She couldn't help but smile. "At least I have my 'Bond-girl'."  
  
Jimmy moved to say something, and then obviously realised that no matter what he said he wasn't going to top that final argument from Bosco, leading everyone to laugh and clap in conclusion of the debate once and for all.  
  
Faith laughed, and elbowed Bosco playfully, seeing his happy smile. She knew how much he loved winning.  
  
"So," Sully began, one hand in his pocket, peering around with his one eye, "we've got a Bond and his girl; a solo 007; a cowboy; a futuristic fugitive; two war heroes; an elf; a Shaft; and a psycho... what a picture we make." He laughed heartily, and his happiness was infectious. One by one, the group began laughing along with him, regardless of whether or not they were enjoying the party, but simply because they were glad to be in one another's company for once.  
  
Bosco kept his arm around Faith as if claiming her, perhaps afraid that Jimmy would grab her in some attempt to beat him at the Bond game. She stood close to her partner, not bothered by the close proximity they had to one another. She had said so herself... it was supposed to be fun.  
  
Sully stood and talked with Doc, the two buying each other drinks all night in understanding of the degree of one another's costumes. Sully finally had to lift the eye patch when he had consumed too many beers. He needed both eyes to stay upright.  
  
Davis joked and laughed with Carlos and Alex, a mismatched trio if there ever was one, and they teased each other about their costumes, and then took to complementing each other on originality and initiative. They went on like that for some time, getting increasingly more inebriated as the night went on.  
  
Bobby, Kim and Jimmy tolerated one another for once, the three talking about their history together, and reminiscing about times past, Joey's name cropping up quite a few times. The three of them seemed to match, costume-wise, and at least in that way they were equal and could fit in together.  
  
Bosco turned his head to Faith, and smiled. "Well, you said tonight would be fun." He laughed. "Don't you ever get tired of being right?"  
  
Faith considered the question for a moment, and then burst out laughing, shaking her head. "No... not really."  
  
The music continued through the night, drowned out only by the Third Watch's talk and laughter. 


End file.
